Ohh Shiny!

Title: Patronus Interruptus
Author: alisanne
Pairing: Severus Snape/Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom/Ginny Weasley
Word Count: 100 x 2
Rating: PG
Warnings: None that I am aware of.
Beta: sevfan
Challenge: Written for neville100's prompt #97: Patronus
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: Sometimes Neville gets the last word.

( Patronus Interruptus )

Dear Ginny,

The picture is brilliant, thank you, and I'd love to have lunch with you this week. Free as a snitch these days, I can meet you anywhere, anytime.

It's good to hear from you, little sister, really good.

Love,
Bill

Dear Bill,

I found this the other day and thought maybe you might like a copy. Maybe, if you'd like, we might have lunch sometime this week. If you're free. Or week after, if that works better.

Just let me know.

Happy birthday, big brother.

Love,
Ginny

-------------------
Enclosed is a silver-framed photograph from last year's Weasley family Christmas tree outing of Ginny and Bill laughing with a delighted Lily and holding steady the fresh-cut tree.

Title: Troth

Author: celandineb

Excerpt:

It wasn't a wizarding restaurant, nor even a particularly high-class Muggle establishment for that matter. Cheap and mediocre Italian was the cuisine on offer, but the place close by and perfectly adequate for the days when neither of them felt like cooking. Severus confessed to liking the tagliatelle alla bolognese, while Remus was fond of the bread basket placed on every table. The owner's son was the baker, and the bread was always hot, fresh, and delicious.

Commentary: Bread. Good Italian bread with rosemary - how can you go wrong? And I would totally have Remus's response to Severus, having been fed this bread first. (Well, I would anyhow, but you know what I mean.

Source: Cook's Illustrated, May/June 1997 - Rosemary Focaccia

( Rosemary Focaccia )

Title: Breaking Bread Together

Author: celandineb

Excerpt:

Remus glanced down and realised that he had reached across the table and taken Severus's hand in his enthusiasm. It was warm and bony and he could feel the calluses on Severus's skin before he hastily let go, murmuring an apology. To cover his embarrassment, he took a sip of wine. Severus had already had a bottle open, and it was excellent.

They changed conversational topics to the less sensitive one of Quidditch as they ate the main course, another dish that Remus had never had and that Severus called a quiche. It was a sort of an egg pie, with bacon and onions and cheese mixed into the egg, and seasoned with subtle herbs as well. Like the rest of the meal, the flavour was simply marvellous, so much so that Remus was unembarrassed about asking for a second slice. Accompanying the quiche were cooked tomatoes, their sweet acidity complementing its richness.

Severus, not having taken an additional helping, finished eating first, and watched Remus as he ate his last few bites, again with that inscrutable expression on his face. Remus's breath quickened under the heated gaze, and when he laid down his knife and fork, aligning them neatly on his plate, he ran his tongue over his lips to see how Severus would react.

Commentary: Again, not exactly what Severus cooked, but I don't make real quiches. *g* This onion pie has onions and cheese and tomatoes (although no bacon) so it's kind of a combination of the two dishes mentioned in the story.

Source: Anna Thomas, The Vegetarian Epicure - Cheese and Onion Pie

( Cheese and Onion Pie )

Title: Breaking Bread Together

Author: celandineb

Excerpt:

Remus stood uncertainly in the kitchen doorway, watching Severus bustle around. His movements were deft and sure and altogether he gave off a rather depressing air of competence. Well, he had been first in their class in Potions every year, doubtless earning an Outstanding N.E.W.T., and cooking wasn't perhaps so different from potion making, when you got down to it.

He didn't like to interrupt Severus's concentration and so he stood silently as Severus worked.

"You could carry these to the table now, if you would." Severus indicated the several bowls and dishes that were ready, and Remus gladly complied.

"It all looks marvellous," he complimented Severus as they sat down.

Severus flushed. "Thank you."

They began with three oysters on the half shell each, something that Remus had never before eaten, but which to his surprise he found delicious. The starter was followed by a light yellow soup, potato, he thought, but with something else as well, and bits of what he guessed might be mushroom, woody and complex in flavour.

"This never came out of a tin, did it?" Remus asked, although he was certain in his own mind as to the answer. "Is it difficult? Do you have a recipe?" Not that he himself was much of a cook, but for something like this, he would be willing to put in more effort.

"My own invention," Severus muttered. "No recipe. Er. How is new your job going?"

Commentary: The color of this soup is very much what I imagined the soup Severus makes in the fic to have looked like, although there are no mushrooms in this recipe and certainly no aphrodisiac herbs!

Source: Bernard Clayton's Complete Book of Soups and Stews - Russian Potato Soup

( Russian Potato Soup )

( The Quibbler Report: Sunday, November 29, 2009 )

So, as you might have noticed, I've been out of fandom for a while, then a "omg sorry I'll be back soon!" post, then nothing again for months. Rinse and repeat.

Well, there's a reason for that, and the reason is that I work for a software company that has no idea how to develop software. In places where they know how to make software, there are four stages:

1. Go find out what the requirements are. Talk to the people who need it and figure out what things they absolutely have to have or you may as well not bother.

2. Develop the specs. Decide how the software is going to work. Make wireframes to get some feedback from the people who are going to be using it, so they can tell you that they really don't need Field X but they have to have Field Y.

3. Work out a timeline. Estimate how long each task is going to take, figure out how many programmers and how much time you have. Remove the least important features to make sure your ship date works.

4. Actually write the code.

Project managers handle stage one for a lot of projects at once, getting a list of features that need to go out and coming up with an approximate ship date. Then they get the programming team to handle stage 2, work with them for stage 3, and then when everything's settled and all the higher-ups approve, they give the programmers the green light for stage 4.

There is almost always some issue that comes up right before the ship date, which means the programmers work overtime for a week or so to get it out on time. It's just one of those things.

My company? Does not do this. They are PERPETUALLY in "OMG SHIP IT NOW THE WORLD IS ON FIRE!!!!" mode, because nobody plans anything in advance -- somebody realizes something needs to be done, some manager who's never written a line of code in his life decides how long it's going to take, and they inform tech lead, who says nobody's available (because everything *else* is on fire). At no point in this process does anybody ever gather requirements, much less design anything, because the people calling the shots don't know anything about programming and don't want to -- even though they run a software company. They just have a vague fuzzy idea that "our customers need X" and don't bother to figure out what it's going to take to get X until the customer's screaming that they need it RIGHT NOW OMG.

We do not have ship dates, because we should always have shipped yesterday. And because the world is always on fire, the programming team is expected to work insane hours to get finished with an ill-defined project as soon as possible after an arbitrary deadline somebody set without knowing what would need to be done by then.

And that is why I haven't been around, even though I always think I will soon. I hadn't yet figured out that I don't work for a normal software company but for Heads On Fire R Us.

ARRGGH.

There is exactly one set of Snape/Lupin offerings in hp_art_tales, and it's mine. Submissions close today (November 29).

The first point has been awarded in Stuff the Stockings! Remember, you have to go back to the main post and leave a link if you've been advertising snupin_santa for the contest. Don't forget, there are fabulous prizes at stake, including your own copy of Chocolate & Asphodel, v. 2. (While you're waiting for the exchange to start, you might consider perusing C&A2 and offering some comments to the contributors)

The Recipe Challenge is drawing to a close. November 30 is the last day for posts on the community. After that, it will be up to drusillas_rain's discretion if she'll accept e-mailed entries as she works on compiling the book.

Be sure to read over McKay's "Coming Soon" post for Snupin_Santa. There's lots of good information there, especially if you plan on participating in Stuff the Stockings.

There are some new holiday icons here from whitestar, but artists, we're still looking for more. In fact, Whitestar has offered to add her iconing touch to any art I can send her, so consider submitting some art soon if you want to see it receive the delux icon treatment. ~_^

If you're involved in the Print Calendar project, your art is due December 15, don't forget in all the holiday madness!

Speaking of calendars, I'm going to go ahead and remind you to switch to December's desktop calendar now. The art is by the very fun, very talented tripperfunster, and it should be very useful in such a busy month!



Finally, I want to thank all of the members here for being such great, generous participants in the community. There's been lots of searches and requests lately, and I'm seeing many new and different members speaking up to help out or volunteer. I'll never stop saying this - you are the reason this community continues to be a warm and friendly place for Lupin/Snape fans, and you're each wonderful and invaluable. Thank you all!

LJ-only users, please forgive me for not making a post with LJ links, but I promise you that all the posts linked here have a LJ equivalent post. I'm just super-rushed because company is on my doorstep!

snupin_santa in less than two days! EEEE!

love, lore

I have just officially given up on NaNoWriMo this year. I can't keep going on this right now. I like the story, I like the characters, but it needs more than I can give it in two days.

Mixed feelings on this, but mostly at the moment relief.

Uh-oh.

My requestee for sga_santa requested a rarepair which I couldn't resist.

And it's ending up with a totally different rarepair in the final scene. Shit.

Any volunteers for a beta? I've been chopping at this fic rather ruthlessly trying to solve quite a few problems.

Writing is hard.

So I updated unfitforsociety instead, with 15 recs for November 2009:

* 3 Supernatural
* 3 crossovers
* 2 White Collar
* 2 Harry Potter
* 2 Star Trek Reboot
* 1 each Big Bang Theory, Dark Angel, and Psych

***

Every time I listen to the Black Keys, I wonder why they haven't been used on SPN yet (if they were, I missed it). Dean could shock Sam by listening to something that was produced after 1979, but that still sounds like it came from the early '70s. Heh.

***

This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/100934.html. people have commented there.

I've finally updated Takes the Cake with another chapter! Between grading, other work stuff, Snupin Santa, and preparing for the memorial service, I've had little free time in which I haven't felt totally exhausted and brain-dead, so the editing process on this story has ground to a screeching halt. I've been working on it as I can, though, so it shouldn't be too much longer before the remainder is up.

Before anyone can pipe up to complain about posting WsIP in the first place:

1) the story isn't a WIP; it's complete. It just hasn't been edited.

2) I thought I'd be finished long before now! Normally, I either edit and post our collaborations all at one go or I edit quickly and post as I finish editing, which takes a matter of days at the most with a steady stream of updates along the way. Because of RL, things didn't work out that way, which happens.

All I can say is, it's not our usual pattern to string things out this long without regular updates, which I hope our readers realize.

Anyway, must zoom. I've got to get dressed and run out the door, but I wanted to post right quick first since I'm not sure when I'll get home tonight, and I didn't want to break my November Blogging streak this close to the end!

This entry was originally posted at http://scribbulus-ink.dreamwidth.org/518442.html. It's cross-posted to LJ and IJ, and comments are enabled at all three journals.

So I've been a very busy bee the last few days.

~I helped alisanne by tagging some of the adventdrabbles from the last two years (which starts again on Tuesday--mark you calendars!! *\o/* ).

~I finished (FINALLY) my Kinky Kristmas fic for daily_deviant (thanks to jadzialove for her expert beta skills ♥)-will email that in tonight.

~I just uploaded a bunch of fic to AO3. I have to say AO3 is pretty shiny. I haven't tagged my fics properly yet. But I did put up my collection of last year's adventdrabbles for example.

Here's my list of works I've added so far. It's really cool to see the variety of fic all in one place. From fluff and romance to chan dub-con incest or bestiality. *vbg*

Takes the Cake by Arionrhod and McKay has been updated with another chapter. It's up to ~32,000 words. Non-magical AU, rated R.

Note: I realize this story is being updated more slowly than our collaborations usually are. It is finished, but I'm the one who does the editing and posting of our collaborations, and I'm not withholding it on purpose to make people wait for more; I'm editing and updating as I can after being body-slammed by the usual end-of-semester grading madness plus an unexpected RL event that has eaten up what little free time I have at present.

I promise I will get the remainder edited and posted as soon as I can. However, I'd appreciate understanding and patience, rather than pointed comments about withholding feedback/ratings/whatever because it isn't finished.

Thanks very much!

Thanks sassy_cissa for all your help!

Little Secret's scroll and eggies: ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Halo's scroll and eggies: ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Little Halo's scroll and eggies: ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

May I ask if anyone has on file the story "Revelations" by Adrienne? It is the third part of her (unfinished) trilogy, "Perdition", "Redemption" and "Revelations", one of the best early Snupins I've ever read, in spite of the depressing themes it addresses (incest and child abuse). I thought I had saved it, but have recently discovered that in last year's computer crash, it has been lost.

• Art:
  
  ( Gen )
  
  
• Fics:
  
  ( Gen )
  
  ( G to PG-13 )
  
  ( R and NC-17 )
  
  
• Resources:
  
  - helga_salazar - A Helga/Salazar community
  - founders_gifts - A Hogwarts Founders gift exchange
  - allie_andromeda's Helga Hufflepuff recs: 20.
  - allie_andromeda's Founders recs: 22.
  
  If you have more art or fic that you will like to see posted, please leave a comment here. Please use the format requested in the call-up post.
  
  Previous editions can be found at Live Journal, InsaneJournal, JournalFen, and Dreamwidth

I've been pretty conflicted about posting my wishlist; on one hand its something of a fandom/lj/lj-clones tradition, and although many people try to grant wishes, its not a required or expected part of making the list.  On the other hand, im really ashamed that I screwed up with Holiday wishes last year.   I don't even remember who I promised to send stuff too last year (can't look back at my emails because there was a computer mishap) I could explain about all our medical and financial and family crisises but I don't want to focus on the negative and I doubt you'd enjoy reading it either.
If I promised you something last year, please let me know, and I'll try to make it right this year.
( Read more... )

Arg I was lazy today and only did one. Now I have 8 ficlets in 2 days. Fortunately I don't have much to do tomorrow, so I hope to spam you with many ficlets tomorrow. Wow it's hard to believe it's almost over.

Holiday Cards and my comment fic for accioslash are my next projects.
Also I've posted a Holiday Card Post, so if you'd like to receive a card, please sign up on that post.

Title: Breathless
Author: shadowess
Word Count: 518
Rating(s): NC-17
Challenge: Blood/Breath Play
Warning(s): Breath Play
Summary: Harry and Severus try some breathplay (lame summary and title, but I’m tired)
A/N: Written for WriSoMiFu and My Table of Warnings/Prompts can be found Here

( Breathless )